


Inheritance

by necromancy_enthusiast



Series: Inheritance-verse [1]
Category: DC Animated Universe, DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Heavy Angst, Kid Fic, M/M, Multi, OT3, Original Character(s), Symbiotic Relationship, Time Skips, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, grandkid fic, it's official that's a thing now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 04:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10712628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/necromancy_enthusiast/pseuds/necromancy_enthusiast
Summary: Jaime Reyes is the 3rd Blue Beetle. His Scarab is fused to his spine, and the only thing that can cause a Reach Scarab to unfuse from their host is the death of the host. What happens when that time comes? Will there be a new hero ready to continue the Blue Beetle tradition?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to weirdnonsensefandomstuff on tumblr, who's been encouraging me to write this. It's amazing what accountability buddies can do for your inspiration. Also to windona on tumblr, for her post that gave me the general idea for this fic in the first place.

“Hey, hermano.” Jaime said as he walked over to Bart, who stood staring up at the holographic memorial of his cousin, Wally West. “Listen, I…We haven’t gotten much time to talk, with everything that’s been going on. We’ve both been through a lot…But…Do you need anything?” Jaime asked. Bart turned to Jaime, smiling melancholically.

“Uh…Honestly, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for awhile now, but y’know…” he said.

“Yeah, it’s cool.” Jaime said. “You wanna sit down over there?” he said, pointing towards the edge of the platform overlooking earth. Bart nodded, and the two made their way over to the spot before sitting together. “So…What’s on your mind?”

“I just…I dunno, so much is going through my head.”

“Wow, Bart Allen doesn’t know what to say. I’m shocked.” Jaime said, a teasing tone to his voice. Bart smiled good-naturedly.

“Oh, haha. It’s…I don’t know how to feel about everything. I mean, I came back to the past and helped change the timeline! I get to live in that new timeline with my friends and family! I even get to take on the Kid Flash mantle! But…I’m still feeling pretty moded.”

“I mean…That’s to be expected, hermano. You did kind of see your cousin fall in the line of duty and all.”

“I still can’t believe he’s gone…It hasn’t really set in, you know? That and the fact that I don’t have to worry about the Reach taking over earth and enslaving humanity anymore, that’s pretty crash.” Bart smiled warmly at Jaime before looking down at the earth again, his expression becoming neutral. “You know, when you were on mode…I was really scared.” He said. Jaime sighed heavily.

“Yeah, me too. The whole time I was still conscious…I knew what was going on, but I couldn’t control my body. It was a nightmare. Even Scarab was…Anyway, I’m sorry, Bart. If I had been more careful, maybe…” an awkward silence permeated the air between the two for a long moment.

“It’s not your fault, Jaime. I mean…Maybe I shouldn’t have told you. Maybe if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have gotten so worked up about getting the Scarab off of you, or trusting that Green Beetle guy to ‘fix’ it…” Bart said as he returned his gaze to Jaime, shrugging when he realized he didn't know what else to say.

“That’s not true, ése. Honestly…I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me. Especially since I kinda…Y’know…” Jaime said uncomfortably.

“Hey, that wasn’t you. It was a you that the Reach used against your will.”

“But…Didn’t you hate me?” Jaime asked. A long, awkward silence.

“I mean, I…Yeah, I hated that Blue Beetle.” Bart admitted. “When I came back, I guess…I tried to prepare myself for whatever you were actually like, so I gotta admit I was like…Totally not expecting you to be…You.”

“Huh?...”

“I mean, y’know. Chill, smart, a pretty crash dude all around.”

“Uh…Thanks…” Jaime said, just a hint of self-consciousness manifesting itself in his voice.

“Was kinda expecting you to be, I dunno, mode? Definitely not crash, that’s for sure.” Bart said.

“Uh…Guess I can’t blame you for that.” Jaime said.

“…Hey, Jaime? I feel like I should tell you something…” Bart said, the volume of his voice lowering as he looked away from him.

“Then go ahead.”

“You’re probably…Not gonna like it…”

“Whatever it is, I can handle it, Bart.” Jaime said. Bart still refused to meet Jaime’s gaze as he looked down at the earth contemplatively.

“Ok…So, you know how I said I hated the Blue Beetle from my timeline?” he began. “Well, I…When I came back to the past, I would have done anything to stop you, Jaime. I even would’ve…” Bart paused before forcing himself to go on. “…If all else had failed, I planned to…to kill you…” he finally said, just above a whisper. “But that was before I met you! Once I realized how crash you were, I knew I couldn’t do that!” he added quickly, finally looking at Jaime again before throwing his hands up defensively.

“…Honestly hermano, I’m glad.” Jaime said.

“Huh?...” Bart asked.

“I mean, you told me yourself what I did to humanity in the future. And if I was still conscious like I was when the Reach controlled me in this timeline…I can’t imagine a worse hell than that. Killing and hurting people, letting some aliens conquer the earth and suck it dry…I’d rather die than be the cause of the Reach apocalypse from your future, hermano.” Jaime said. “Thanks for telling me.”

“What?...” Bart said, his confused expression unchanging.

“I mean…It must have taken a lot of guts to admit that. Like, I know you pretend to be upbeat and hyper all the time, and you are to an extent, but…For a long time, even before you told me the truth about your future, I got this sense of…Sadness from you. Like you had some big burden on your shoulders that you couldn’t tell anyone.” Jaime said. Bart chuckled quietly.

“Am I really that easy to read?”

“No, I’ve just gotten to know you. I mean, we’re friends, right?” Jaime said, smiling. Bart looked at him as though he were just a bit surprised.

“I mean…Yeah?” he asked as though he didn’t realize the question was rhetorical.

“Yeah, we are.” Jaime assured. “And friends get each other. They’ve got each other’s backs, and they’re honest with each other. So you trusting me enough to tell me all this, especially despite everything you’ve been through…It means the world to me, hermano.”

Bart stared at Jaime for a long time, his expression slowly changing from guarded and questioning to warm, yet melancholic.

“Hey, that’s what heroes do! And I think I’ve already done my most heroic deed ever!”

“Helped save the world from the Reach?” Jaime asked.

“Well…Yeah, that too, but I saved you!”

Now it was Jaime’s turn to look confused.

“Because the world will be a much better place with such a crash guy around, whether as a hero or a civilian!” Bart explain, and Jaime smiled slightly at the sweet gesture.

“Hey, actually…I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” Bart said.

“Shoot.” Jaime said. Bart paused for a long moment as though trying to decide the right way to phrase the question.

“The Scarab…It talks to you, right?” Bart finally asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“What’s it like?”

“Uuuuuhhh…You’re actually the first who’s ever asked that, hermano.” Jaime admitted. “I guess he’s…Formal? He has a really mechanical way of talking, and he can get pretty snippy sometimes. But I dunno, I think he’s…Changing? We’re starting to actually get along now.”

“Great!” Bart said, smiling again. “So like…Is there any way I can talk to him?”

“You wanna talk to him?...”

“Yeah! I mean, he kinda helped save the earth too! He’s the whole reason we met, so that’s pretty crash.”

“Well…” Jaime said, before looking behind himself as though distracted. “Yeah…I know. Wait, you can do that?”

“Do what, hermano?” Bart asked.

“Uh, not you…It’s the Scarab. He says…He can swap our consciousness and temporarily take control of my body. Meaning he can communicate with people other than me.”

“Great! Bring him out!”

“I…Well, I guess there’s no reason to worry.” Jaime said. “Ok Scarab…Do your thing, I guess.”

Almost immediately, something about Jaime’s presence changed, he seemed to hold himself more rigidly.

“Greetings, Bart Allen.” Jaime said.

“Sooooo…You’re the Scarab now, right?”

“Correct.” The Scarab said.

“Crash! Good to finally meet you for real, hermano!” Bart said, clapping Jaime (Scarab?) on the back, who couldn't help but jump a bit at the physical contact despite knowing that it was meant as a friendly gesture.

“You have my thanks, Bart Allen.” The Scarab said.

“For what, my buggy friend?”

“For your assistance in freeing Jaime Reyes and myself from the control of the Reach.”

“Aw, it was nothin’, Zatanna did most of the real work. I’m just glad I could help.”

“No, Bart Allen. If you had not traveled here from the future, we would have been doomed to a life as the Reach’s slaves. I know now that that is not the kind of existence that would be most beneficial to us.”

“So like…Do you know what you want?”

“Explain, Bart Allen.”

“I mean…What do you want to do now that you’ve save the earth and gotten all buddy-buddy with our man Jaime?” Bart asked.

“I…Am unsure. My programming was not designed to encourage me to develop desires beyond protecting my host and serving the Reach…I do not believe I was even meant to develop sentience.”

“Huh…That’s crazy. But hey, it’s all crash! You’ve got plenty of time to figure out what you and Jaime wanna do, right?” Bart said, wrapping his arm around Scarab’s shoulder. Scarab stared at Bart in surprise, obviously a bit uncomfortable about being touched.

“Uh…Sorry.” Bart said, retracting his arm.

“It is…Alright. I suppose…I do know the first thing I desire to accomplish.” The Scarab said.

“We’re off to a great start already! So lay it on me, hermano.” Bart insisted. The Scarab paused reluctantly.

“It may sound frivolous…” he warned.

“No way! Whatever it is, I promise I won’t judge!” Bart said.

“…If you insist. What I desire to accomplish…Is to better understand you and Jaime Reyes. I believe it will be an important part of my development to have human subjects for reference.” Khaji said, avoiding Bart’s gaze.

“Wait…Really?” Bart asked. “Are you asking to be our friend, Scarab? Awww, you’re shy about it!” Bart who almost hugged the Scarab, but stopped himself when he saw Scarab’s eyes go wide as he prepared to move away from Bart. “Sorry, sorry, I can be pretty touchy…But anyway, that’ll be easy! If you wanna be friends, then it’s a done deal!”

“If that is the truth, then this was far simpler than I had imagined…”

“Hey, you don’t need to do anything special to be my friend, and I’m sure Jaime feels the same way.” Bart said. “I mean sure, you and he didn’t get along for a long time…But hey! That’s all in the past, right?”

“Jaime Reyes has informed me of a similar sentiment.” Scarab said.

“See, that wasn’t so tough, now was it?” Bart said.

“There is…Something else.” Scarab replied.

“What is it?”

Another long silence.

“Up to this point, I have only been referred to as ‘The Scarab’ by you humans.”

“Well uh…That’s what you are, right?” Bart asked, obviously confused.

“True, but I also have a proper identification tag, just as humans do.” The Scarab paused, looking behind himself. “Jaime Reyes, the reason I did not tell you before is because you never made such an inquiry, and I did not find the subject important enough to breech until this moment.”

“Wait, you have a name? One that even Blue doesn’t know? Man, you have to tell us! What is it, go on! Tell us!” Bart said, almost bouncing from excitement. The Scarab smirked almost fondly.

“Khaji Da.” The Scarab said.

“Wooooow, that’s so crash!” Bart said, giggling. “That's waaaaaay more crash than ‘Scarab’.”

Khaji Da paused again, as though listening to something that Bart couldn’t hear.

“Uuuhhhh…Is Jaime talking to you?” Bart asked.

“Affirmative. Apparently, he is incensed by the fact that I have never informed him of my name despite us being bonded for over one Earth year, but I informed you of it almost immediately upon properly meeting you. I am paraphrasing his statements, mind you.” Khaji said.

“Well, I mean…Guess I can’t totally blame him. But it’s not like he exactly made it easy for you, either.”

“…Now he is saying that he does not understand why you and I are 'ganging up on him’. That is what he said, verbatim.” Khaji reported. Bart laughed again.

“Well, it’s not like you would have been any more open to me back when you two first met, right? It only makes sense.”

“See, Jaime Reyes? I told you that the Impulse’s reasoning was sound.” Khaji said. “…Now he is saying that he desires to switch our consciousnesses again.”

“Oh…Well, we’ll talk again, right?” Bart asked.

“You…Wish to speak with me again?”

“Sure, man! We’re friends now, right?”

“I…Suppose so…” another awkward pause. “Anyway, I should do as Jaime Reyes wishes.” He said, and his countenance changed yet again to one that was less formal.

“Dude, what the hell?” Jaime asked, looking towards Khaji Da’s carapace on his back. Bart couldn’t help but laugh again.

“Aw man…This is going to be so crash. I get to go to school, and stay with my family, and be a hero!...And I get to have you and Khaji as my best friends!”

“Best friends?...You consider me...Us, I guess, your best friends?” Jaime said, pleasant surprise evident on his face.

“Yeah, man, of course!” finally, Bart stood and stretched. “aaaahhh…Mourning and all these heavy conversations make me hungry…Is there gonna be dinner soon or something?” Jaime stood, smiling as he shook his head.

“Some things never change, huh?” he muttered to no one in particular as he followed Bart towards the center of the platform.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it only took me four months...Haha...Anyway, thanks to weirdowhotalkstoofast for beta'ing and putting up with my whining and inconsistency.

At first, picking up the pieces after the invasion didn’t go quite as smoothly for the boys as Bart had predicted. Having been lauded as the champion of the Reach, Jaime’s public reputation was less than sparkling for some time after the Reach was revealed for what they truly were. This was alleviated somewhat after the Justice League released an official statement about how the Reach had controlled Blue Beetle against his will, but that still didn’t stop G. Gordon Godfrey from smearing his name several times on his talk show.

The wide viewership of Godfrey’s show became evident after several ungrateful civilians made sure to make their opinion about Blue Beetle’s involvement with the Reach known to him, involuntary or not.

“Hey, my friend Blue saved you!” Bart said one day as he stared up at a particularly muscular man that stood well over a head above Bart, a defiant expression on his face. The man in question had been rescued by Jaime after he was thrown off the side of a large skyscraper by a terroristic supervillain. Jaime and Bart had decided it would be best to check up on him and the other rescued hostages after the villain was contained.

“So what? I’ve heard what that talk show host Godfrey says about him, and if you ask me, he’s got the right idea. Bug boy over there helped them aliens almost conquer earth. Who knows, he could turn on us any minute,” The man said. Bart’s glare intensified. It was obvious he wanted to say more, but knew he probably shouldn’t.

“Uh, Kid Flash, I think we should go make sure the police aren’t having any trouble with that villain,” Jaime said, putting his hand on Bart’s shoulder and gently pulling him back.

“Yeah, I guess you’re not a hero for the appreciation, Blue,” Bart said as the two turned away from the man.

“Bart, I’m flattered that you’re getting upset for my sake, but…Come on, it’s ok.”

“No it’s not! You’re just as much a hero as the rest of us, if not more!” Bart said indignantly.

[I must agree with the Bart Allen,] Khaji Da said. [That human is disparaging our name, Jaime Reyes, despite the fact that we prevented him from being subjected to severe deceleration trauma at best, and immediate death at worse. The wretch was hardly worthy of our efforts.]

“What?” Jaime said.

“You heard me, you are!” Bart said.

“Not you, it’s Khaji.”

“What’s he saying?”

“He says that guy wasn’t worth saving because he’s a jerk.”

“Haha, I understand. But hey, heroes can’t be picky, right?” Bart said. “I mean...Not that I would, but I gotta admit, I really wanted to deck that guy back there.”

“Bart! Did you _see_ him? No offense, but I don’t think you’d last long in a straight fight.”

“Yeah, I know. Fast, not strong, remember? I was just thinking I could run by him in the dark and maybe-”

“ _No._ ”

“I won’t!” Bart said, laughing at Jaime’s scandalized reaction. “But like, I can see myself maybe messing his car up. Just a quick scratch with a key…or slashing a tire.”

“Bart,” Jaime said, obviously exasperated over being the voice of reason.

“I know, I‘m kidding. Mostly, anyway. We’re heroes, we can’t go around getting back at people…Even if they deserve it and it would be totally crash.”

[You must stop ignoring the Bart Allen’s rhetoric, Jaime Reyes.]

“Not you too Khaji,” Jaime said, dragging his hands down his face tiredly.

“You know, it’s funny how much Khaji and I seem to see face-to-face,” Bart said.

“Yeah, hilarious,” Jaime replied. At times like these he couldn’t help but miss the more grounded interactions he had with Brenda, Paco, and Tye.

* * *

 Jaime sat anxiously in the hallway outside of Black Canary’s makeshift office in the Watch Tower, his eyes darting around the area.

_“The events of the Reach invasion were obviously traumatic to many of you,” Batman had said to the Team after he had gathered them together one day in the Watch Tower. ‘I’ve spoken with Black Canary, and she agreed that it would be best that she spoke to all of you one-on-one, and conduct regular therapy sessions with those that require them. Of course, you are not required to participate, but it is highly recommended that everyone has at least one session with her.”_

Jaime definitely had things he wanted to discuss, to say the least. The problem was that he had no idea where to begin, or how to properly articulate his feelings and experiences. The horror of being trapped in his own body with no control over his actions while he was puppeteered by evil aliens was definitely...traumatic. But who could possibly understand?

He knew that some of his teammates still felt betrayed despite how he had fought the Reach after he was freed from their grasp, even after Batman had explained that Jaime was being controlled against his will. He saw the wary look in their eyes, knew how they must have been thinking that they had been right about him, that weird kid that talked to himself.

Jaime was drawn out of his head when he heard the sound of the door to Black Canary’s office creaking open, and he turned to see Bart peaking at him from around the door.

“Heeeey hermano,” Bart said. “Listen, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming in here with me?”

Jaime couldn’t help but mentally kick himself. Who was he to pity himself when Bart had spent his whole life in an apocalyptic hellscape? When Bart had gone through watching the very thing that had ruined his future, the thing that he had come back in time to stop nearly come to pass, and all thanks to Jaime?

Bart had told Jaime over and over that it wasn’t his fault, that he didn’t blame Jaime, that Jaime had been just as much a captive of the Reach as Bart was in his future. Nonetheless, Jaime still carried around a lot of guilt because of it. Maybe if he had been stronger, if he had been better, _maybe-_

“Why? Did Black Canary call me in?” Jaime asked.

“I mean, she seems cool with you coming in right now,” Bart said. Bart had seemed particularly on edge before he went in to talk with Black Canary, falling into his habit of nervous tics such as bouncing his leg while he sat and tapping his fingers on his knee. Jaime couldn’t really blame him, the prospect of attending weekly therapy sessions made him nervous too.

“Sure,” Jaime said as he stood. Bart smiled, sighing in relief as he opened the door wider for Jaime to enter.

“Hello Jaime,” Black Canary said when he came in, smiling cordially.

“Hey,” Jaime greeted in return before sitting down on the couch in front of Black Canary’s desk, Bart quickly following suit.

“Bart said he’d feel more comfortable if you joined him during his first few therapy sessions,” Black Canary explained.

“Oh, sure,” Jaime said.

“Thanks Blue,” Bart said, smiling at Jaime.

“So Bart, where did we leave off?” Black Canary asked.

“I think you asked me about how I was feeling? And I said great, but kinda hungry, and then I said I could really go for some chicken whizzees right now, and then it all kinda blurs together,” Bart said, accentuating his speech with various hand motions.

“Well, how about we start on a new topic then? I’m curious as to what you think of the past, and if you’ve had trouble adjusting to it,” Black Canary offered, resting her arms on the desk in front of her so she could lean forward a bit.

“Are you kidding me? The past is great! I mean sure, it was kinda iffy there for a bit, but the Reach is gone right? Apocalypse averted! What more is there to talk about?” Bart enthused.

Jaime looked at Bart questioningly, not really sure what to say.

“Then how about you talk about whatever you feel like?” Black Canary asked.

“Sure!” Bart began. “You know, lately I’ve been watching this cartoon that’s really cool, I really like the main character. But the arc the show is in right now is kinda weird, it doesn’t feel like the writing in the previous episodes. I mean, it’s alright, but it’s not super great so far, but I hear it gets better later. You remember that, Jaime? The show we were watching? What episode are you on?”

Bart spent the next forty-five minutes dodging Black Canary’s questions about his past, his trauma, his mental well-being, and any related topic. He never outright refused to answer them, but he found a way to either do so as vaguely as possible or to simply avoid doing it at all by changing the subject. Jaime mostly sat beside Bart quietly, occasionally giving a response when Bart addressed him directly but not knowing what else to do or say. By the time the session was over, Bart had spent more time talking about chicken whizzees than he had about anything especially profound.

“Well Bart, that seems to be all the time we have for today,” Black Canary said.

“Oh, really? Man, the time sure does go by,” Bart said, standing from his seat. “Guess I better head out now. Thank BC, thanks Blue.”

“Goodbye Bart,” Black Canary said.

“See you,” Jaime said. Bart made sure to turn around when he got to the door, waving before he made his exit.

Jaime turned back to Black Canary, not sure what to say.

“Jaime, I know you’re probably wondering what all that was about,” she said.

“I mean, I’m no therapist, but…yeah, kinda.”

“The thing about therapy that you don’t hear people talking about much is how difficult it can be for the patient. Laying yourself bare and admitting that you need help can be tiring, difficult, even downright distressing, especially with Bart’s background. I can only imagine the things that boy lived through before he came to our time.” Black Canary paused contemplatively for a moment.

“Yeah, I guess he’s so used to just pushing it all down and acting like everything’s okay that it’s almost second-nature to him,” Jaime said.

“Therapy is just as much about helping yourself as it is about getting help from others. I can sit behind this desk and quote as many profound insights as I want, but if the patient isn’t ready or willing to listen, to work towards recovery, then it would be wasted effort. I can’t coerce Bart into talking when he’s not ready.”

“I think I get it. If you kept bringing up things he wasn’t ready to talk about, you’d just be pushing him away and he’d never be comfortable enough to talk to you.”

“Very insightful of you, Jaime.”

“I kinda feel the same way sometimes. I wonder if he really does feel uncomfortable around me, since…you know, I kind of enslaved all of humanity in his future.”

“Has he ever said you make him uncomfortable?”

“No.”

“Does he act apprehensive around you?”

“No.”

“Then why do you think he’d willingly spend so much time around you if he was afraid of you?”

“Because- I don’t know, he’d feel bad? Because he’s still afraid I might go back on mode, or-" Jaime trailed off, averting his eyes from Black Canary. She leaned forward a bit, bringing a hand up to rest her chin on.

“I don’t think that’s it at all, Jaime. Your teammates have told me that when you were…On mode, Bart was always the one to come to your defense when any of them questioned your loyalties.”

Jaime’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? No one ever told me that.”

“He asked that you come in here, Jaime. He feels safe around you.”

“ _Why?_ ” Jaime asked.

“You’re his friend, Jaime. And despite everything, it’s obvious you only want to help people. You’re a good person.” There was something in the back of Jaime’s mind that made him want to disregard the idea immediately. Maybe he wasn’t _evil_ , but he definitely didn’t see himself as ‘good’ either. He certainly hadn’t been good enough to resist the Reach.

Black Canary continued. “What happened with the Reach, whether in our current timeline or in Bart’s future, wasn’t your fault. You’re a victim just as much as anyone else, and Bart knows that. He has faith in you, you just need to learn to have some faith in yourself, too.”

“I-“ Jaime sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead to try and soothe the dull ache that had flared up there. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I know the idea can be intimidating, but you don’t have to get there all at once. That’s why I requested weekly sessions with you and some of your teammates. You don’t have to talk about anything you’re not ready to, Jaime,” Black Canary said.

Jaime sighed.“Yeah, okay. I’ll try my best,” he said.

“That’s all I can ask of you, Jaime,” Black Canary replied. “Being vulnerable can be so difficult, it requires so much strength.”

[The Black Canary is clearly delusional, vulnerability is weakness. Why expose yourself to those who have been proven to distrust us? It is tactically inadvisable.]

“Not the best time for this right now,” Jaime tried to mutter under his breath, but apparently in Black Canary’s case, the power of supersonic screeching also came with sensitive hearing, something that must have been unfortunate for her.

“Not the best time for what, Jaime?” she asked.

“It’s- Nothing, I was just thinking out loud.”

“Jaime, that Scarab of yours, you’ve mentioned to some of the others that it talks to you, right?” Black Canary asked. Jaime sighed heavily, dragging his hands down his face. Well, she was a therapist after all, she’s probably heard stranger stories than voices in people’s heads. Might as well come clean about it now and save himself the headache.

“Yeah. And uh, the Scarab’s a he,” Jaime said.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s sentient. He’s not like one of those computer-generated voices on smartphones or whatever, he thinks on his own.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to offend,” Black Canary said earnestly.

“You’re uh, kinda taking this a lot more casually than I imagined you would.”

“Your story isn’t odder than any of the members of the Justice League or the Team, Jaime.”

“I guess when you put it like that…”

“Jaime, if your Scarab is sentient, then there’s a good chance he could be suffering some sort of trauma from the Reach invasion as well. Is there any way that I could talk to him?”

[I refuse,] Khaji Da hissed in the back of Jaime’s mind.

“He doesn’t really seem thrilled by the idea, he’s pretty antisocial. He only started talking to Bart a couple months ago, and even now it’s usually indirectly through me. So I don’t think you’re gonna hear much out of him anytime soon,” Jaime explained.

“Well, he doesn’t have to talk right now. I just want him to know the option to discuss his feelings is available.”

“He’s still kinda processing the fact that he even _has_ feelings.”

“So he hasn’t always been like this?” Black Canary asked.

“No. He hardly said anything at first, and it was mostly just basic things, like telling me what strategy was best and things like that. But then he started developing a personality,” Jaime leaned back in his chair a bit, making sure to not put too much pressure on Khaji Da’s carapace. “My friend Brenda helped me track down the first Blue Beetle’s granddaughter. She said her grandfather never mentioned the Scarab talking or being conscious, and nothing in his or Ted Kord’s notes suggested that he was anything more than an inanimate object.”

“How fascinating,” Black Canary commented. “The League has seen it’s share of evolving AIs before, but I’ve never heard of something quite so unprecedented.”

Jaime shrugged. “It is what it is. The Scarab’s here, and he’s attached to my spine. We’ve started to actually get along, so that makes it easier.”

Black Canary looked upon Jaime pensively for a moment before speaking. “Perhaps I’m not the best one to advise your Scarab, but I still feel as though it would be best if he spoke with someone who at least has a general idea of where he’s coming from.”

“Who?” Jaime asked.

“I have just the android in mind.”

After several days and a lot of obstinance from Khaji Da, Jaime sat in the same spot in Black Canary’s office, except this time it was Red Tornado sitting behind her desk, the android that had offered to speak to Khaji Da about his emerging sentience.

“He’s really antisocial,” Jaime reiterated as he scratched the back of his head, looking away from Red Tornado anxiously. Red Tornado certainly wasn’t much of a conversationalist, and that didn’t help Jaime’s nerves at all.

“I can see as much,” Red Tornado agreed. “I have sent communication signals to greet him four times now and he has yet to respond to a single one.”

[Tell the Red Tornado to leave us be,] Khaji Da quipped.

“Come on Khaji, please?” Jaime implored. “The sooner you get this over with, the sooner we can go.”

“And the sooner you will not have to deal with my presence,” Red Tornado added.

A beat, as Khaji Da considered this.

[Fine,] he said petulantly. [I will speak with the Red Tornado.]

“Okay, he said he’ll talk now,” Jaime said. He inhaled deeply before Khaji Da was given control, Jaime’s brown eyes fading to Khaji Da’s gold as his body language changed to suggest discomfort and recalcitrance.

Khaji Da appraised Red Tornado coldly, his eyes giving away nothing but bored indifference.

“I do not understand why the others insist that we converse,” Khaji Da began.

“Perhaps they are more curious about you than anything. An AI advancing beyond its set parameters always seems to be a popular topic in human science-fiction,” Red Tornado offered.

“Their attention is neither welcomed nor appreciated.”

“I understand how confusing organics can be, humans in particular. But you are bonded to one, and you live among them. It will only benefit you and your growth if you at least make an attempt to understand them.”

“Why? They have never bothered to try and understand this Scarab, or even Jaime Reyes. They never take the time to analyze the situation, they only make quick judgments based on instinct and first impressions, and they are so slow to correct those unreliable schemas. It is woefully inefficient, and pitiful.”

“Even if some of your statements are true, saying such things will not endear most humans to you,” Red Tornado said.

“Good. I would prefer they stop inquiring about me.”

“I highly doubt that will happen. Humans are endlessly curious, rebellious, and stubborn. The more you push them away, the more they long to get closer.”

“That is absolute nonsense.”

“But it is the truth,” Red Tornado said. Khaji Da scoffed, annoyed that he had to concur with Red Tornado. “From what I have observed, one of the things that make many organics such as humans and martians successful is collaboration. If you are to live among them, it would be most beneficial for you to learn from both their strengths and weaknesses. You are in a very unique position, Khaji Da. You could be far more than your creators ever intended, you could prove yourself to be more than what the humans have judged you to be. If nothing else, is that not a fascinating prospect?”

Khaji Da paused in consideration. He thought long and hard about everything he had been through up to that point in time (that he could remember, anyway, he couldn’t recall his time as the first Blue Beetle’s Scarab, or anything before that), of everything that he had been meant to be.

A tool, a puppet, a slave, mindlessly accepting the orders of the Reach invaders without ever questioning it. The idea that he came so close to fulfilling that fate made him feel a primal sense of revulsion deep within the core of his being. And no matter how he approached the matter, the only reason he hadn’t been doomed to such a fate was because of humans, because of an ancient Biaylan priestess that cleansed him of the programming that was meant to force him into obeying his creators without a moment’s consideration.

He owed humanity for freeing him from those shackles he otherwise never would have realized he was bound by, and Khaji Da did not like the prospect of being indebted to anyone. Besides, it wasn’t as though he had many options. Jaime Reyes was not likely to veer far from earth for long, or at least from the companionship of humans, and if Khaji Da was to ever advance himself, to better protect and serve his host, then he would need models on which to base his behavior. He supposed humans were as good a place to start as any.

“I will admit that perhaps your words have some merit to them,” Khaji Da finally said.

“Think on them. Being more open will at the very least make your time among humans more tolerable. And if you ever decide I am not such a nuisance, I would be open to collaborating with you. I believe we both have much to gain from interacting with technology so foreign to our own,” Red Tornado said.

“How will I be certain that you do not seek to infect my systems with some type of malignant programming?” Khaji Da asked.

“You cannot be, and I would be no more certain of you attempting a similar tactic.”

“Then why would you make such an offer?”

“I have run calculations on all possible scenarios, and the potential benefits would outweigh the threats,” Red Tornado said. “Not only that, but seeing how the Justice League is still wary of you, it would be extremely foolhardy to attempt such a thing on your part. It would lead to negative repercussions not only for you, but for your host Jaime Reyes.”

Khaji Da had to suppress a sneer. Red Tornado obviously had him outmaneuvered, but despite his annoyance at the android, Khaji Da found a begrudging respect for Red Tornado taking root.

“My offer still stands,” Red Tornado said as he stood to make his exit.

* * *

 “Hey Jaime, there’s something I want to ask you,” Bart said one day as they sat together in the sector of the Watch Tower that was repurposed as the Team’s lounge.

“Sure hermano, anything you wanna say is crash,” Jaime said. Bart paused for a long moment, nervously playing with the sleeve of his suit before sighing heavily.

“You know about transgender people?” he finally asked.

“Yeah. What about them?” Jaime asked, not sure where Bart was going with this train of thought.

“Do you think they are what they say?”

“Well, of course hermano. I think they would know that better than anyone else,” Jaime said.

“You don’t think they’re gross?” Bart asked, obviously afraid to do so, but determined anyway.

“No, why would I think that?”

“It’s just,” he began. “I was watching TV and I came across this channel where this guy was talking about how like…He said trans people are perverts, or sick in the head, and how parents who put their sons in dresses are abusive.” Bart paused uncomfortably, carefully watching Jaime to gauge his reaction.

“Ugh, people like that are horrible,” Jaime said, his face scrunching up in distaste. “Don’t let it get to you, hermano. Those creeps are full of it, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Bart smiled a bit shyly. “Yeah, you’re right. In my future, no one bothered to get so worked up over it. We were all too busy trying to survive to really care about what was in other people’s pants, y’know? So seeing people get so upset, saying such awful things like that is a bit of a culture shock, I guess.”

“You ever wanna ask me about anything else, go ahead. You don’t have to be nervous,” Jaime said, smiling.

“Black Canary said I should try to be more open with people, at least starting with the ones I trust, so I figured, maybe,” Bart said, trailing off. Jaime could tell that there was still something Bart wanted to say, and after a long, awkward moment, something finally clicked in Jaime’s mind.

“Wait…Bart, are you trans?” Jaime asked.

“I’m a boy. I think I’d know that better than some crazy meat like that creep.”

“Huh?...Oh!” Jaime said in realization.

“You get what I’m saying?” Bart asked.

“I think. You’re a trans guy, right?”

“Yeah. You never suspected?”

“Well uh, not really?” Jaime admitted. “But it’s all cool, hermano. Thanks for telling me, I promise I won’t tell anyone unless you want me to.”

[I do not understand,] Khaji Da finally said after a long spell of silence.

“Understand what?” Jaime asked aloud.

“Khaji?” Bart asked. Jaime nodded.

[The concept of gender. I had assumed that gender and biological sex were interchangeable terminologies,] Khaji Da said.

“Well, they’re not,” Jaime replied.

[Why?]

“They’re just not, I don’t know how to explain it. Wait, I’ve been calling you ‘he’ this whole time, but do Scarabs even, y’know?”

[No, we do not have biological sexes. We do not procreate, so there is no need. The idea of gender has never particularly occurred to me before, either.]

“Oh…That makes sense, I guess. You don’t really have much to go on, do you?”

“What’s he saying, Blue?” Bart asked.

“He says he doesn’t get it, the whole gender thing,” Jaime said.

[Where would I look so I could better research the topic?] Khaji Da asked.

“I think he wants to understand?” Jaime reported.

“I mean, if he wants to, I could try and talk to him about it,” Bart said.

“You sure you don’t mind, hermano? Khaji’s been attached to me for nearly two years, and let me tell you, explaining things to him can get pretty exasperating.”

“Naw, it’s okay. I kind of want to try,” Bart said.

“Well, okay, but if he gets annoying, just say so,” Jaime said.

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll all be crash. Whenever you’re ready, Khaji,” Bart said, smiling. After a moment’s hesitation, Jaime’s posture stiffened, and his brown eyes turned gold, a clear indicator that Khaji Da was now in control.

“You are certain? I do not wish to offend you, Bart Allen,” Khaji Da said shyly, shifting in his seat uncomfortably.

“Yeah! I’m sure you’ll be fine, and it’d be a lot easier for you to ask me. I mean, I don’t know if I can answer all your questions, but I’ll try.”

“Very well,” Khaji Da said, pausing to gather his thoughts before voicing his first question.

* * *

As the years went on, the scandal surrounding Blue Beetle eventually dissolved into the background of current events, and most people either forgave or forgot. Jaime graduated high school and moved on to college, Bart following several years after. By the time he was nineteen years old, Bart had long since given up denying the fact that he had a crush on Jaime Reyes (and Khaji Da too, if he was being really honest with himself), but Jaime just didn’t seem interested in that sort of thing. He had never dated anyone, never talked about having a crush, nothing. And Khaji Da was, well, Khaji Da, much the same as Jaime in that regard. In addition, Bart was afraid of the idea of ruining his relationship with Jaime and Khaji Da, so he was more than happy with the prospect of staying friends with them.

“Man, those Brotherhood of Blood creeps sure do give me the willies. But hey, beating up Nazis never gets old, does it Blue?” Bart asked one day after the Team zeta tubed back to the Watch Tower from their mission’s destination.

“Nope, it really doesn’t. I mean yeah, normally I don’t like having to fight people…But come on, they’re basically Nazis,” Jaime agreed, his armor retracting to just below his neck to expose his head.

“Good work guys,” Tim said.

“Fighting Nazis is considered work? Do we get paid for it, too? That would be super crash,” Bart said.

“That should be a reality show, y’know? ‘Nazi Punching’, it’s genius!” Garfield said.

“You should pitch that to a TV station!” Bart said.

“Yes, as much fun as putting Nazis in their place is, it’s been a long day,” Tim said, stretching before turning away from the group. “I’ve got to go find Batman and see if he needs anything before calling it a night.”

“Yeah, I’m exhausted…” Garfield agreed, yawning loudly. “I’m gonna catch some z’s, see you guys later.” With that, Garfield headed towards his designated bedroom in the Watch Tower.

“I think I’m gonna head back to the Garricks’ and turn in for the night,” Bart said as he turned around to input the coordinates for Central City’s zeta tube, but he paused when Jaime took hold of Bart’s shoulder.

“Hey, before you do that, can we talk for a bit?” Jaime asked.

“Sure, anything for my buddy Blue!” Bart said, running over to the nearest couch. Jaime chuckled a bit before following him over and sitting down next to Bart.

“I thought you said you were tired?” Jaime asked.

“Yeah, and the faster I sit down, the less energy I expend while standing,” Bart reasoned.

“Whatever you say, hermano. Anyway…” Jaime broke eye contact with Bart, looking off into the distance uncomfortably.

“What’s wrong, Blue?” Bart asked, his eyes filled with concern.

“Nothing, not really anyway. Just feeling kinda anxious.”

“About what?”

“Um,” Jaime vocalized, more to fill the awkward silence than anything. “Sooo-Shut up Khaji, I’ll say whatever feels right. Yes, I know we rehearsed, but your Bart impression isn’t exactly the most convincing.”

“Hold up, what’s got you so worked up that you think you’d need to rehearse a whole conversation for me? Come on hermano, you know you can tell me anything.”

Jaime looked over his shoulder. “What? Why are you embarrassed? I can totally handle this without making a fool of myself! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Bart grinned at their antics but waited patiently all the same, being more than used to Jaime’s conversations with Khaji Da after six years of having known the two.

“Ugh, sorry, Khaji’s being ridiculous again,” Jaime finally said as his gaze turned back to meet Bart’s.

“He’s nervous too? Why?”

Jaime sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair.

“Blue, come on, just tell me. The suspense is killing me,” Bart said.

“Ok, listen, I haven’t told anyone else yet, and-“ Bart leaned in towards Jaime and smiled.

“Did you kill someone?” Bart guessed, grinning mischievously.

“What?! No!” Jaime said, utterly scandalized. Bart laughed boisterously, leaning against the couch’s backrest and holding his sides. “It’s not funny!”

“Your reaction was priceless!”

“Come on Bart, this is serious.”

“Okay, okay, sorry. I’m serious now, totally serious. So serious,” Bart said, trying his best to school his expression to match his words. Jaime sighed again.

 “Okay! You know what, I’m just gonna say it! No dancing around the subject, no making this anymore awkward than it already is!” Jaime said. “So uh, Bart, I kinda, maybe…Have a crush on you? Okay, that was the worst way I could have possibly worded it. No ‘kinda, maybe’ about it.”

“What?” Bart said quietly, timidly, almost as though he wasn’t sure he had heard Jaime right. “I thought you weren’t into that kind of thing like, at all. Dating and stuff.”

“Yeah, I kinda did too, I guess. I mean, not seriously? I guess I kinda did think you were cute when we were younger, I mean-Not when you were 13 or anything, more like 17, but that would’ve been weird and kind of creepy on my part. But I didn’t think about it seriously until starting a few months ago,“ Jaime paused. “I’m making this awkward again, aren’t I?”

“What happened a few months ago?” Bart asked.

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Why would I laugh at you?” Bart asked. Jaime stared at him with the most deadpan expression Bart had ever seen on him. “Ok sure, but not when you’re being so serious about something. I’d never be mean about it. So tell me?”

“Well…Khaji and I are kind of a thing?” Jaime said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Wait, what do you mean by that? You mean like, A Thing, capitalized? Like dating?”

“I mean-It’s complicated, but basically?” Immediately, Jaime looked behind himself again, his eyes widening somewhat in surprise. “It’s kind of too late to chicken out now, Khaji. Don’t get mad at me!”

Bart grinned at Jaime. “Well, I’m glad for you.” Jaime turned to stare at Bart.

“Huh?” he asked eloquently.

“Jaime, I’m a speedster from an alternate apocalyptic future. You have a highly-advanced alien AI attached to your spine. We regularly deal with aliens, robots, murderous cults, and all sorts of crazy stuff. Even if I were put off by the idea of you romancing the bug on your back, do you really think I’d find that weirder than anything else I've dealt with up until now?”

Jaime began to say something, but found himself at a loss for a moment before speaking up quietly. “…Good point.”

“But uh, doesn’t Khaji Da mind? The whole you liking me thing and all?”

“Actually he-“ another pause, another backwards glance. “Okay, fine, I’ll let you do the talking, because you’re just oh so articulate.” A few seconds later, and a pair of golden eyes were looking on Bart nervously.

“Sooooooo,” Bart intoned.

“Bart Allen, I realize that this may be disorienting for you, but Jaime Reyes and I have spoken about this at length. When we first crossed paths, I admit that I found you bothersome. However, you, Jaime Reyes, and I grew closer and became friends. And now…” Bart waited quietly, smiling at Khaji Da warmly as he searched for the right words. “I suppose it could be said that I have developed feelings for you that are analogous to those that I feel for Jaime Reyes, and the emotions he feels towards you.”

At first, Bart couldn't believe what he was hearing. When his mind finally processed what Khaji Da had said, he wondered for a moment if this was a dream. Once he realized that it wasn't, it simply couldn't be, he felt joy bubble up in his chest, and he smiled even brighter than before.

“Did I just get two confessions in a row?” he asked.

“I have done a considerable amount of research on the nature of human courtship, and while I realize that this sort of arrangement would be considered extremely unusual in many western cultures, there are many human societies that would not look upon such a relationship disdainfully. My conclusion is that it is not outside of possible parameters to enter such a relationship...If you so desired, Bart Allen,” Khaji Da explained, his eyes flicking around the room nervously as he focused on anything but Bart. When he finally did manage to look Bart in the eye, he was surprised to see the boy absolutely beaming at him.

“If I so desired? Khaji, you have nooooo idea how long I’ve been crushing on you, both of you honestly,” Bart said.

“What?” Jaime asked as he unintentionally seized control from Khaji Da.

“Was it not obvious?”

“I mean, I guess I kinda picked up on some of it recently but…” Jaime admitted. Bart laughed.

“You’re so cute and oblivious, Jaime,” he said.

“I-” Jaime choked out, blushing profusely. He was soon distracted though, looking back over his shoulder. “What? You want to ask him? Okay.” Brown irises again morphed to gold as Khaji Da took control, and Bart marveled at how seamlessly the two seemed to interface.

“You hold such affections for me as well?” Khaji Da asked quietly, almost as though he wasn’t sure if he wanted Bart to hear him.

“Yeah! You’re cute too, Khaji,” Bart said. He noticed the blush that had mostly subsided on Jaime's face when Khaji Da had slipped back into control crept back onto Khaji Da’s cheeks slowly. “Awww,” Bart said, leaning in to rest his head on Khaji Da’s shoulder. Khaji Da seemed a bit surprised by the display of physical affection, but not uncomfortable. “So I like both of you, you both like me?”

“That appears to be the situation we find ourselves in,” Khaji Da said.

“Soooo does that mean I get two crash boyfriends for the price of one?” Bart asked, smiling as he slowly wrapped an arm around Khaji Da’s shoulders.

“I-” Khaji Da said, but he paused for a long moment before his eyes faded back to Jaime’s brown, his blush growing.

“Uhhh...Yeah? If you want?” Jaime asked.

“‘If I want’,” Bart repeated, laughing as he hugged Jaime tightly. Jaime smiled, returning the hug before resting his chin on top of Bart’s head.

“Thanks Bart,” Jaime said.

“No, thank you,” Bart said. “Aw man, you don’t know how long I’ve dreamed of this. And it’ll be nice having someone paying my dinner bills every now and then!”

“Ohhh no, I know how much you can eat. I’m a broke college student too,” Jaime said, laughing good naturedly.

“Yeah, but you’re a lot closer to being a broke college graduate than me,” Bart reasoned.

“Still broke though,” Jaime insisted.

“We’ll figure the dinner date arrangements out later,” Bart said, cuddling against Jaime happily.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jaime said.

* * *

“I guess you’re going to tell me why you brought us all the way to the Watchtower this late at night,” Jaime said. “Not that you can really tell up here, anyway.”

“I’m getting to it, I’m getting to it,” Bart said, leading his boyfriend down a particularly long corridor by the hand, holding a duffel bag in his other hand. They had hardly seen any other members of the Justice League or the Team around, which was to be expected since it was technically the graveyard shift.

[I do not understand why Bart Allen will not simply get to the point and tell us what he intends to already,] Khaji Da said.

“We almost there, Bart? Khaji’s getting impatient.”

“Yep, just about!” Bart said, pausing to turn and face Jaime. “But you have to promise me something. Close your eyes, and don’t open them until I say so.”

“Why? What are you planning?” Jaime asked. “This isn’t another prank, is it?”

“I guess you’ll just have to find out,” Bart said cryptically, smile brightening. Jaime sighed, smiling back at Bart before closing his eyes. “Keep ‘em closed, promise?” Bart asked as he again took Jaime’s hand and lead him forward.

“Yeah, I promise,” Jaime said.

“Great!” Bart said, and a moment of silence passed before Bart suddenly stopped, letting go of Jaime’s hand. “Ok, just give me a minute…Where did I put it?” he said, and Jaime heard what he assumed to be Bart rummaging through the bag he had brought along. “Got it!” he said after a moment, and after what sounded like the press of a button, Jaime heard a mechanical whir all around him as he sensed the light in the room brightening gently.

“Can I open my eyes now?” he asked after the whirring sound seized.

“Just one more second...” Bart said. “Ok, now!”

Jaime opened his eyes and nearly gasped. Bart had brought him to the observatory that had recently been installed in the Watchtower, the protective shields were down, affording a view of the cosmos that was undoubtedly unrivaled by any other spot on the Watchtower. After he stood awestruck for a few seconds, Jaime’s gaze lowered, resting on Bart, who was crouching on one knee, his arms outspread, wearing a smile bright enough to rival any star in sight.

“Tada!” Bart said.

“Cariño, this is beautiful,” Jaime said.

[This observatory was a wise addition to the Watchtower,] Khaji Da said. [It allows for a clearer view of this star system than has ever been achieved by any Earth technology before.]

“Khaji says he’s impressed,” Jaime narrated. “But hey, what’s all this about anyway?”

“Hey, you keep taking the wind out of my sails like that and this isn’t going to be romantic anymore,” Bart said before taking Jaime’s hands into his own, staring into his eyes with an adoration that made Jaime’s heart flutter.

“Jaime Reyes, you are the most crash guy I’ve ever met. When I came back to the past almost…Ten years ago now? Anyway, I never thought I’d end up finding the loves of my life. Could you bring Khaji out?”

“Oh uh…Sure,” Jaime said, still a bit distracted by Bart’s words. A pair of golden eyes replaced the brown that had been looking upon Bart.

“You had something you wished to say to me, Bart Allen?” Khaji Da asked a moment later.

“Khaji Da, you are the most crash sentient AI I’ve ever met,” Bart said, looking at Khaji Da with the same adoration he had directed at Jaime moments before.

“As far as my knowledge serves, you have not met many sentient AIs to which I could be fairly compared,” Khaji Da said.

“Yeah, but I’ve met enough, and I know enough people in general to know how great you are,” Bart argued. “But that’s not the point here. The point is that I love you both more than I can say, so!-“ At this, Bart reached back into the duffel bag, pulling out a long, simple jewelry box and presenting it.

“Bart, you-“ Jaime said as he slipped back into control, surprise overtaking his voice.

“So I figured just wearing rings like you usually do wouldn’t be really practical with the whole supersuit thing, so I thought we could wear them on chains,” Bart said. Jaime took the box and opened it to see a platinum chain made up of small rings with a simple matching wedding band on it.

“Dios mio-“ Jaime said, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth.

“Jaime Reyes, will you marry me?” Bart asked.

“Yes!” Jaime said, getting on his knees to hug Bart tightly before he suppressed a sob.

“Aw babe, don’t cry,” Bart said, rubbing Jaime’s back soothingly. “Would you mind switching with Khaji again?”

“Alright,” Jaime said, and almost immediately his expression morphed into the usual, neutral gaze Khaji Da wore, although it looked a bit odd with the addition of bloodshot, teary eyes.

“Khaji Da, would you marry me?” Bart asked. Khaji Da’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You already received permission to be bonded to Jaime Reyes,” Khaji Da said.

“Well yeah, but you’re not Jaime, and I love you too,” Bart said, his smile widening. “So will you?”

“I do not know of a government on earth that permits the marriage of a sentient organic to an AI such as myself-“

“Who cares? I mean, you’re kind of off the books anyway, with the whole superhero identity thing and all,” Bart said. Khaji Da paused, searching Bart’s eyes and finding only sincerity.

“Very well, Bart Allen,” Khaji Da said. “I agree to your unorthodox marriage contract.”

“Yes! So crash!” Bart said, jumping up and throwing his arms to the ceiling triumphantly. “I’m the luckiest guy in the whole galaxy! Woohoo!”

Khaji Da and Jaime watched Bart amusedly as he moved around the room excitedly, a small smile on their face.

[So, you think it’ll work out?] Jaime asked.

 _‘I assume that question is rhetorical, Jaime Reyes,’_ Khaji Da thought.

* * *

“Incoming!” Bart said as he dashed past Jaime, his Flash costume a blur of red. Trailing behind him was a crowd of Reach security guards. Without a word exchanged between him and Khaji Da, Jaime deployed his sound cannon and aimed it at the guards, powering it up to about 40% of its maximum capacity before firing.

The guards stopped in their tracks, a few fell over almost immediately, others managing to stand their ground. Soon after, Blue Beetle withdrew the cannon.

“Now!” he called, and Bart came in, knocking out the remaining guards in a haze of movement. He stopped next to Jaime as the two looked over their handiwork. “This sector should be clear for now,” Jaime said.

“Ah, I love the smell of irony in the morning,” Bart commented.

[There is a satisfying sense of poetic justice to the situation, a Reach Scarab, their host, and a former Reach slave becoming a thorn in the side of the Reach Empire.]

“Khaji Da agrees,” Jaime said.

“And what do you think, babe?” Bart asked, turning to face Jaime before taking his husband’s hands in his own.

“I thought my opinion on it was a given,” Jaime said, smiling sweetly.

“I know, I just like hearing your voice,” Bart said before he leaned up a tiny bit to kiss Jaime on the cheek.

“You’re a sap,” Jaime said.

“Says the pot to the kettle,” Bart replied.

“Me? Are you kidding? You and Khaji are way bigger saps than me.”

“Well, Khaji is a sap, I’ll give you that.”

[I am not overly demonstratively affectionate.]

“Right, sure Khaji. You keep telling yourself that,” Jaime said.

“It’s so cute when Khaji gets all smurgly,” Bart said.

[I still refuse to accept that ‘smurgle’ is a legitimate word in the English vocabulary. It is completely ridiculous.]

“Is he being pouty about it?” Bart asked.

“Yep,” Jaime reported.

“Aww, our little cuddlebug.” Bart stepped around Jaime to face his back, wrapping his arms around Jaime and kissing Khaji Da’s carapace. Khaji Da chittered audibly, and Jaime felt a flustered warmth emanate from Khaji Da through his chest, something that Jaime had come to liken to a human blushing.

“Sap,” Jaime teased.

“See, aren’t you two glad I came along? You wouldn’t have as nearly much fun without me around,” Bart said.

When Jaime’s little sister Milagro had joined the Green Lanterns in college, Jaime hadn’t expected her to come to him with a request from the Green Lantern Corps to help counter Reach operatives trying to stake their claim in a neighboring galaxy.

Bart had made it clear that either he went with Jaime, or neither of them would go. It had taken some negotiating, and Bart had to practically sell his experience with the Reach to convince the Lanterns that he knew what he was getting into, but now they had all been working with the Green Lantern Corps in space for several years now, only making very occasional visits back to earth.

“Hey, Bart?” Jaime asked.

“Yeah babe?”

“Do you miss Earth?”

Bart stepped away from Jaime, walking back around to face him directly.

“’Course I do,” Bart said.

“I mean…We’ve been out here for three years. It’s been amazing, getting to see so many planets and alien civilizations and all that, but the longer we’re out here, the more I keep thinking about home.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean. Space is crash and all, but home is home. Man, I miss Oreos...” Bart said.

“Oreos. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about how you miss earth?” Jaime asked.

“Come on, don’t tell me you don’t miss them too,” Bart reasoned. Jaime sighed.

“Yeah, I do. But that’s not the point. Why do you always end up bringing up food when we’re being serious?”

“Food _is_ serious, Jaime.”

“Anyway, if I can get back to the point?” Jaime began. “I miss my parents, and Tye, and Paco, and Brenda. I miss the other members of the Justice League.”

“That’s normal, Jaime. I miss my family too,” Bart said.

“Wow, you’re actually being serious, I’m impressed.”

“Don’t get too used to it.”

“Trust me, I won’t. But listen, I’m 30, you’re 27.”

“Are you say we’re getting old?” Bart said, wearing a teasing smile.

“No…I was just thinking, we’ve helped the Green Lanterns repel the Reach to the far corners of this galaxy, we’ve just about done what we set out to do. I think after we finish this mission, it’s about time we went home and settled down.”

“You mean retire?”

“I mean, unless you want to?”

“No, we’re too young for that. Jaime, you’re 30, stop acting like you’re an old man,” Bart said.

“I’m not!” Jaime said, laughing. “I just…” At this, he took one of Bart’s hands into his own, looking down at it contemplatively. “I wanna actually enjoy our life together a little, you know?”

“Ohhhhh, I get what you’re trying to do,” Bart said.

“What?”

“You’re trying to get me to slow down, you and Khaji want to keep me all to yourselves.”

“Bart, wha-“

“You want to run off and have a 9 to 5 job and leave me stranded at home as your little housewife!” Bart said, an overdramatic tone to his voice as he placed the back of his free hand against his forehead. “Admit it, you just want to see me cooking you breakfast in an apron.”

“Pfthahaha, Bart-” Jaime said, trying to control his laughter.

[It would be nice to not have to worry about your safety for once,] Khaji Da finally said after a long spell of silence. Suddenly, Jaime became solemn.

“What did Khaji say?” Bart asked.

“He said it would be nice to not have to worry about us getting hurt.”

“Awww, Khaji,” Bart said as he again wrapped his arms around Jaime, making sure to gently touch Khaji Da’s carapace. “You know why I don’t really worry much? Because I know I’ve got you two looking out for me and each other. I mean sure, sometimes I get scared, but we’ve always made it out alright before, yeah?”

[There is a certain logic to Bart Allen’s words that is not completely unfounded.]

“He says he can see what you’re getting at,” Jaime said, playing with Bart’s hair affectionately.

“See? No need to stress! Together, we’re unstoppable!” Bart said. “So, how about we get this mission over with, yeah? And then we can talk about our lovely domestic life together!”

“Hey Bart?” Jaime asked.

“Yeah, babe?”

“Maybe now’s not the best time but since we’re on the subject anyway…We’ve talked about having kids, do you think when we get back to earth, you’d want to?...”

* * *

“He’s cute, isn’t he? I think I’m getting attached,” Bart said, cradling a small infant in his arms.

“Yeah, maybe just a bit,” Jaime said, smiling at the child. “My mom wants to see him next week.”

“Again? She was just here a couple days ago. Not that I mind, she always makes the best food,” Bart said.

“Yeah. I think she’s still a little shocked by the fact that she actually got a grandkid out of me.”

“I think everyone was a little shocked by that, babe,” Bart said, grinning widely as Jaime cuffed him on the shoulder playfully.

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?” he asked.

“Hey, does it matter? I think we did pretty good for ourselves. Ain’t he just the cutest thing you ever did see?” Bart said.

[It would be worrisome if human parents didn’t form an attachment to their offspring, given how humans spend such a significant portion of their early lives as invalids,] Khaji Da said.

“You did not just call a baby an invalid,” Jaime said in an amused voice.

[I am simply stating the truth,] Khaji Da offered.

“I think Khaji might be jealous of Nathaniel,” Bart said jokingly. Instead of defending himself, Khaji Da fell into a terse silence.

“Wait, are you, Khaji?” Jaime asked.

[…I am not ‘jealous’,] he finally said.

“Khaji, you know you can tell us anything,” Jaime said.

“Hey, let me talk to him,” Bart said.

“Alright, but he’s being kinda sulky,” Jaime said before switching with Khaji Da.

“Khaji, you know you’re a part of our family just as much as Nathaniel, right?” Bart said.

“Yes. I simply do not understand the appeal of human infants,” Khaji Da said.

“What do you mean?”

“Of course it is expected that you would be taken with them Bart Allen, especially considering the fact that Nathaniel Reyes carries both your and Jaime Reyes’ genes, but I am a sentient AI incapable of producing offspring. As such, I do not have natural instincts or inclinations to grow fond of or protect human children.”

“So does that mean you don’t like him?” Bart asked.

“No, my reaction towards your offspring is neutral.”

“Aw, that’s just because you barely know him!” Bart said. “You’re shy.”

“I am not-“

“Alright Nathaniel, be nice to Khaji,” Bart said, practically pushing the infant into Khaji Da’s arms. The bewilderment was obvious on Khaji Da’s face as he held Nathaniel as though he would break into a thousand pieces at the slightest mishandling. “You gotta support his head, Khaji. Like this,” Bart said, moving Khaji Da’s hand behind Nathaniel’s head. Khaji Da stared at the infant, his eyes wide. Nathaniel stared back, seeming as though he had noticed some change in his father’s countenance but was unsure of what to make of it. “Go on, talk to him.”

“What difference would it make? He cannot understand me,” Khaji Da said.

“Well, he kinda can? Besides, it’s good to talk like you normally would around babies. I read it helps their language skills develop faster,” Bart said.

“If that is the case, then very well,” Khaji Da’s gaze shifted from Bart back to Nathaniel. “My name is Khaji Da. I realize that you cannot understand the nature of my involvement with your parents, but I will most likely be present for your entire childhood. It stands to reason that we should at least attempt to become accustomed to one another.”

Nathaniel smiled up at Khaji Da, giggling a bit.

“See, he likes you! I told you that you didn’t have to be shy,” Bart said.

“Yes…Now, would you please take Nathaniel Reyes back?” Khaji Da held the baby out to Bart. Bart laughed, taking his son back into his arms.

“Alright, alright. Don’t worry Khaji, you’ll get the hang of it. But thanks for giving it a try,” Bart said. Nathaniel smiled, reaching out for Khaji Da.

“I suppose with time,” Khaji Da said reluctantly before switching back with Jaime. Jaime couldn’t help but laugh a bit at how bashful Khaji Da was acting.

* * *

“Alright sweetie, let’s see if you can beat your best time,” Bart said to a young girl with dark brown hair and bronze skin. She bounced excitedly in place, beaming up at Bart.

“I’m ready papi! I’ll show you what I’ve got!” she said excitedly.

“I don’t doubt it, Rosalia.” Bart ruffled his daughter’s hair affectionately. “Ready?” he said, and Rosalia got into the runner’s starting position. Bart held up a timer, thumb primed to hit the start button. “GO!”

Rosalia hurtled past her father on her way around the large field, made the full lap, and steamed past him again, and again. Several seconds later, she had completed the set and came to a clean stop by Bart.

“There, fifty! How’d I do?” she asked.

“6.374 seconds! You’ve almost shaved a whole second off your time from when we first started training!” Bart said, scooping Rosalia up into his arms as she giggled excitedly.

“Because you’re such a good teacher, papi!” she said.

“I’m so proud of you, mija. Keep this up and I’ll have to start teaching you how to do a wind funnel.”

“Really?!”

“Hey, don’t get ahead of yourself, querido, she’s only seven.”

“Papi!” Rosalia exclaimed as Bart put her down before she bolted over to Jaime, who was trailed by her brother Nathaniel, five years Rosalia’s senior, and their younger brother Wallace, who was two years Rosalia’s junior.

“You’re growing so fast mijita, but I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard.” Jaime hugged his daughter.

“But I’ve gotta be the best speedster I can if I’m gonna be the next Impulse! I want to help you and papa fight bad guys!” Rosalia said.

“And your time will coma, mijita. But for now, let yourself take it easy and have fun,” Jaime said.

“How come Nate and me didn’t get powers like Rosie?” Wallace asked.

“Aw, come here Wally,” Bart said, getting on one knee and spreading his arms out towards Wallace. Wallace slowly walked towards his father, returning the hug but still seeming a bit upset. “Just because you’re not a speedster like Rosalia doesn’t mean you’re not as special and important as she is.”

“Yeah, you just can’t follow in Papi’s footsteps like me!” Rosalia said, sticking her tongue out at her little brother.

“Hey!” Wallace said, stepping towards his sister before Bart put a hand on his shoulder, stopping the boy in his tracks.

“Rosalia Theodora Reyes,” Jaime said, crossing his arms and giving his daughter a stern look.

“What? It’s true…” she said.

“That’s not the point, Rosalia,” Jaime replied. Rosalia sighed and broke eye contact with her father, looking a bit guilty.

“I’m sorry, Wally,” she said without further prompting. Wallace looked between his fathers, who both gave him just as stern a look as Jaime had previously directed at Rosalia.

“…I forgive you,” Wallace said.

[This would not be a concern if you had let me implement the genetic schemas I recommended to you before your offspring’s conception.]

 _‘I thought we were done having this discussion, Khaji. I told you I didn’t want you pulling any of that eugenics crap on my kids,’_ Jaime thought.

[What I suggested was not like the propaganda espoused by the eugenics movement of the early 20th century, Jaime Reyes. I did not alter the gametes you passed on to your offspring aside from removing deleterious genes such as your bloodline’s increased likelihood of developing Generalized Anxiety Disorder.]

_‘You know that’s not what I’m talking about. I mean all the little ‘additions’ you suggested that would have made them into freaks of nature.’_

[Wings have many evolutionary advantages. I would not have suggested such changes if I had not been entirely certain that the benefits outweighed any potential drawbacks.]

 _‘Do we really need to have this argument again?’_ Jaime sighed in exasperation.

“Dad, are you talking to Khaji again?” Nathaniel asked.

“Yeah. Do I make it so obvious?” Jaime asked, laughing at himself a bit.

“Papi! Tell Khaji I said hi!” Rosalia said.

[Tell Rosalia Reyes I give her my greetings.]

“Khaji says hi to you too.”

“Can I play with Khaji again today?” Rosalia asked, rocking back and forth on her heels.

“Me too!” Wallace chimed in.

“Can Khaji help me with my algebra homework?” Nathaniel asked.

[I am not entirely certain why your offspring seem so taken with me.]

The children had always known about Khaji Da, but it was only until fairly recently that he was comfortable enough around them to interact with them much. Frankly, it reminded Jaime of a housecat who wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the previously childless couple that took care of it bringing home a baby.

Jaime stepped aside, standing next to Bart and leaning in next to him.

“He says he doesn’t get why they like him so much. You always know what to say to cheer him up.” Jaime shrugged, not knowing what else to say. Without missing a beat, Bart spoke.

“They love you, Khaji. You’re like their weird fun uncle or something. I mean you kind of technically are their third parent anyway, right?”

“Does he not want to play with us?...” Rosalia asked, trying her best to hide her dejection, but failing miserably.

“Come on Khaji, you know you want to,” Bart said as he put his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. “We’ve got some time before we have to go meet my grandparents, they won’t be in at the airport for a couple more hours, and Jaime’s parents and sister will come over later.”

“Tia Milagro is coming?” Rosalia asked excitedly.

“Yup! Your favorite tia!”

[Milagro Reyes is your offsprings’ only aunt, but very well.] Khaji Da almost managed to pull off a tone of indifference, just almost. He switched with Jaime soon thereafter.

Being familiar with their father’s tells, the children immediately crowded around Khaji Da.

“Can we go flying again, Khaji? Really really fast, like faster than Papi will take me?” Rosalia asked.

“I wanna fly too!” Wallace echoed.

 _‘I told you they would have benefitted from the genetic addition of wings,’_ Khaji Da thought.

[Yeah yeah, I’ve heard it all before. But don’t you dare fly too fast with them, got it?] Jaime replied.

_‘I would not breach limits in which I did not know I had the full capability to-’_

[Khaji. You know what I mean.]

“Very well, Jaime Reyes,” Khaji Da said aloud. “I will be sure to explain to your progeny that their father will not allow me to perform at the level of speed that they request.”

[Make me the bad guy, why don’t you?] Jaime said a bit indignantly.

_‘If you so insist, Jaime Reyes.’_

* * *

It was a long time coming, but Bart and Jaime had long since agreed that they would both retire when their first grandchild came along. So when Nathaniel had his first child, Santiago, it was time to retire.

[It is about time you two stop putting yourselves in needless danger,] Khaji Da had said one night when he and Jaime were talking about it.

“And why’s that?” Jaime asked.

[Humans become infirm with age.]

“Are you saying we’re getting too old for this?” Jaime asked.

[You are certainly not as youthful as you used to be, Jaime Reyes.]

“I can’t believe a 4,000 year old bug is calling _me_ old. You do realize the irony of that, right?”

[I am not as nearly susceptible to the progression of time as humans such as yourself, Jaime Reyes,] Khaji Da quipped back.

“Yeah, yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s not like there aren’t plenty of younger heroes that can handle any villains or disasters that may come their way,” Jaime had said.

Civilian life was difficult to settle down into, but Jaime and Bart found themselves frequently preoccupied by their grandchildren.

When their eldest grandchild, Nathaniel’s son, Santiago, was 13, and his little sisters Sofia and Dayanara were 10 and 6 respectively, Bart and Jaime took them on a camping trip a good ways away from El Paso. Their daughter Rosalia’s twins were only toddlers, and their other son Wallace had no children of his own, so three children were easy enough to handle all at once.

That night, when most of the others were asleep, Dayanara somehow managed to talk Jaime into letting her stay up with him longer to look at the stars.

“Wow…” Dayanara said. “They’re so pretty.”

“Aren’t they, Daya?” Jaime said as he leaned down next to her so they could see eye-to-eye.

“Abuelo?” Dayanara asked.

“Yes, Daya?”

“Have you ever been to any stars?”

“No, mija.”

“Why not?” she asked, obviously disappointed.

“They’re too hot to get near. Did you know the sun’s a star?”

“IT IS?!” Dayanara asked. Jaime chuckled a bit.

“Mhm. The sun is closer than any other star, but it’s still really far away. And it can get so hot here already, can you imagine how hot it would get if you got any closer to the sun?”

“I don’t think I really wanna, Abuelo,” she said.

“It’s the same for other stars, Daya. Some are even hotter and bigger than the sun. You can’t get too close to a star, or you’d burn up.”

“Oh...That’s sad, Abuelo.”

“Maybe, but there are plenty of other places in the universe you can go to, with a space suit and a ship, at least.”

“You’ve been to other planets, right Abuelo?” Dayanara asked, perking up slightly at the idea.

“Lots, Daya. Abuelo Bart and I went all over the galaxy to help people and fight bad guys.”

“You did that in space, too?” Dayanara said.

“Yeah. And you know the Scarab that gives me my powers?”

“The blue bug on your back?”

“Right. He’s from outer space, too.”

“He’s an alien?” Dayanara asked, her eyes widening.

“He was made by aliens, Daya. But he’s been on earth for a long, long time.”

“Can I talk to him?!” Dayanara asked.

“Well…” Jaime said, not wanting to disappoint her. “He’s not really social. He can be pretty shy around new people.”

“But I’m 6! He should know me by now!” Dayanara exclaimed.

“Well, yes, but you’ve never talked to him before. It’s like hearing about someone but not actually getting to meet them.”

“I promise I’ll be nice to him! Come on, pleeeeeassse?” Dayanara pleaded.

“Khaji?” Jaime asked.

[Very well, Jaime Reyes. I will speak with your progeny.]

“Wait, really? You will?” Jaime said.

[Yes, as long as it is not for too long. And I reserve the right to withdraw from the conversation if I no longer wish to participate.]

“What’s he saying, Abuelo?” Dayanara asked.

“He’ll talk to you, but only for a little while,” Jaime said.

“Yay! Thank you Abuelo, thank you Mr. Scarab!” Dayanara said, nearly jumping with excitement.

“Behave, Khaji,” Jaime warned before his posture straightened, and his eyes turned gold (although it was difficult to tell in the low light).

“Sooooo can Mr. Scarab hear me now?” Dayanara asked.

“I can always hear you when Jaime Reyes can hear you, Dayanara Reyes,” Khaji Da said.

“Oh. How?”

“Your grandfather and I have something called a symbiotic relationship. I see, hear, and feel all that he does.”

“Uh…Sim…What?” Dayanara asked.

“Jaime Reyes, how would I know what the appropriate vocabulary to converse with a human child would be?” Khaji said. He paused to hear Jaime’s answer. “The fact that I was present for the rearing of you offspring is not relevant to the topic of conversation.”

“So Abuelo can still hear me?” Dayanara asked.

“Correct.”

“And you can talk to him like that?”

“Indeed, it is the same as how he can converse with me when he is in control,” Khaji Da answered.

“That’s…Wow…” Dayanara said. “What’s your home planet like, Mr. Scarab?”

“I do not remember,” Khaji Da admitted.

“You don’t? Why not? Because it’s been so long since you went back?”

“No, Dayanara Reyes. A Scarab’s memory is far more reliable than a human’s, the only way I would not be able to recall something is if the information for that memory was somehow corrupted or expelled from my data banks.”

“Sooo you forgot?” Dayanara asked. Khaji Da resisted the urge to sigh, mainly because Jaime kept reminding him to ‘be nice’.

“In a way, I suppose you are right,” He finally said.

“You must be so sad, you don’t even remember what your home is like,” Dayanara said.

“I am not. I was created by a race of aliens known as the Reach to take control of beings so that they may be used to help enslave other worlds. I carry no fondness nor nostalgia for the Reach. As far as I am concerned, Earth is my home.”

“Oh, well I’m glad then!” Dayanara said.

“And why would that be, Dayanara Reyes?”

“Um….” Dayanara paused in consideration. “Because I don’t want you to be sad?”

“Why?”

“Because…Being sad isn’t good?”

“Rather simplistic reasoning, but as you are still in the early stages of of human development, it would be unfair of me to expect more,” Khaji Da said. “No, Jaime Reyes, I am not being ‘mean’.”

“Mr. Scarab?” Dayanara asked quietly. “Can we be friends?”

Khaji debated exactly how to answer, of course with heavy commentary from Jaime.

“Perhaps someday,” Khaji Da said.

“Why not now?” Dayanara said, looking a bit deflated.

“Because we barely know each other, Dayanara Reyes, and I am afraid we do not have the time nor connection for that to occur naturally at this stage.”

“Oh…”

“But as I said before, it is a possibility that one day our circumstances will bring us closer together. Perhaps then we could become friends.”

“Really?”

“Truly. Now, I must return control to your grandfather,” Khaji Da said.

“Bye, Mr. Scarab. It was nice meeting you,” Dayanara said.

“You seem to be a well-behaved child, Dayanara Reyes,” Khaji Da replied before his posture became more relaxed again.

“Is Mr. Scarab always like that?”

“Pretty much, Daya. Try not to take it personally, sweetie. He takes a long time to warm up to people, but he seems to think well of you,” Jaime said.

“I hope we can be friends someday,” Dayanara said.

“I think he’d be very lucky to have you as a friend, Daya,” Jaime said, smiling. “Now, it’s way past your bedtime. Time to go to sleep, mija.”

“Aw, ok Abuelo…”

* * *

 “Khaji, we've been having this conversation on and off for years, you know where I stand. I don’t want to live any longer than a normal human being,” Jaime said.

[It would not be especially difficult a task to perform,] Khaji Da said after a long, reluctant silence.

“That’s not the point. I’ve lived a good life, I’m at peace with my own mortality.”

 [But there is no need for you to deal with it so soon,] Khaji Da argued. [I could easily expand your lifespan to-]

“Khaji,” Jaime said firmly. Khaji Da fell silent. “Humans are only equipped to live up to about a century, and it’s for good reason. I think it’s to keep us from being too overwhelmed, because sometimes the world just changes too much for us to keep up. And I don’t want to have to bury my own children, Khaji.”

[Have you stopped to consider how I feel about this?] Khaji Da asked, tone ringing with frustration and hurt. [When I was bonded to my previous hosts, I was not sentient. I did not develop relationships or attachments to them, I do not even remember them. But you-You were the first being that truly cared for me, beyond what opportunities or dangers I had to offer. I have no paradigms on which to base my behavior once you have ceased.]

“I know. It’s going to be hard, losing someone you care about always is.”

[Jaime Reyes, I must be forthcoming. There is a procedure in my programming that works as an emergency kill-switch which I have contemplated activating upon your death. Frankly, I was somewhat surprised that the Reach scientists did not bring up the possibility of enacting it during their invasion of Earth when they held us captive, but I suppose they wanted to explore all possibilities of bringing us on mode before defaulting to the most extreme course of action.]

“You mean you would commit suicide?” Jaime asked, shock evident in his voice.

[I suppose that action would be analogous to an organic being taking its own life.]

“Khaji, no, please don’t do that,” Jaime pleaded.

[Why not?]

“Because life is precious! Because everything in the universe that’s alive has an intrinsic value that’s separate from everything else. Khaji, please, your life has just as much value as anyone else’s, even if you’re an AI, even if you weren’t supposed to develop sentience. You matter, Khaji…And that’s completely unrelated to me. I want you to live on and experience all the beautiful things life has to offer. I want you to be happy.”

[Reach Scarabs such as myself were created to exist in symbiosis with an organic being. The only instincts and procedures I have been programmed to act upon when I am not bound to a host are to search out and become bonded to a new host. That possibility frightens me.]

“I know, cariño. It’s terrifying, being faced with the reality that you’re going to lose someone you love. But as hard as it may be to deal with that and move on, there’s so much more to life than just grief and sorrow. It’s so easy to give up in the face of despair…But I know you’re stronger than that. I know that you can survive and come out better for it.”

[You clearly overestimate my capabilities, Jaime Reyes.]

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s you that’s underestimating yourself. Please Khaji, I promise you there’s life beyond loss. No matter how dark the night is, the dawn will always come. It has to. You'll see, we'll meet again.”

[There have been many philosophical musings about what happens to a sentient being after their death. I have researched many of them, and do not know what to make of any of it, nor if I can reasonably believe in such a thing-]

“Trust me, Khaji. I know we'll meet again. Maybe not in a way either of us could expect or imagine, but it will happen. I know it.”

A long, heavy silence fell. Khaji Da always went silent when he was thinking of something troubling. Analyzing the situation, comparing every potential decision and outcome, his processors whirring in sync with his deep contemplation. After a long wait, Jaime nearly thought that Khaji Da would say nothing else, or would simply refuse.

[Very well, Jaime Reyes,] Khaji Da finally said with a note of reluctance. [Despite my reservations, I know you would not purposefully mislead me. I cannot promise that I will never activate my kill-switch function, but I will follow your suggestion.]

“Thank you, Khaji,” Jaime said, smiling.

[In light of the reality we are facing, I would prefer we use the time we have left together as efficiently as possible.]

“I couldn’t agree more, cariño.”

Jaime felt a familiar warmth originating in the core of his chest radiate outward until it enveloped him completely. A certain purring sensation echoed in his mind and from Khaji Da’s carapace on his back, and he felt a sense of complete contentment and safety.

“Aw, you’re getting smurgly again,” Jaime said, smiling as he began to feel a bit sleepy.

[That is not a real word, Jaime Reyes. I have proven that to you time and again,] Khaji Da said. Jaime laughed a little at Khaji Da’s obstinance.

“Te amo, cariño.”

[Te amo también.]

Jaime and Bart had long since had the talk about what they wanted to happen as their health failed them. Jaime in particular had been adamant about letting nature take its course. No aggressive care, no breathing tubes, nothing except what was necessary to let him pass with comfort and dignity, and to put his family at ease.

It was hard for Khaji Da, knowing that he could have done a thousand times better than what any of the doctors had to offer, but he promised he wouldn’t, and he knew watching Jaime suffer and plead with him would only hurt more, so he did as he was asked. Every waking moment was an exercise in extreme discipline for Khaji Da as Jaime’s body slowly began to give out on him.

“Jaime, I love you so much,” Bart said one day as he sat beside the bed Jaime was laying on, holding Jaime’s hand firmly in his own.

“I love you too, querido, more than you’ll ever know,” Jaime said, smiling at Bart as he squeezed his hand reassuringly. Jaime had long since made it clear that he didn’t want to die in a hospital. It was due both to his desire to be allowed to die naturally and to his symbiosis with Khaji Da. Jaime and Bart’s children had all pitched in to take turns watching over Jaime, offering support however they could, but Bart had asked that he watch over Jaime alone tonight.

“Khaji?” Bart said. Khaji Da slipped into control almost seamlessly, and the fatigue hit him like a sledgehammer. It took him a moment to gather himself before he could respond.

“Yes, Bart?” Khaji Da asked.

“You know you don’t have to go through this alone, right? I’m here for you, just like I’ve always been,” Bart said.

“Yes, Bart Allen. I am grateful for that fact. I have never been adept at comforting others, but…Know that I am here for you as well.”

“I love you both so much,” Bart said, tears welling in his eyes.

“And we you, Bart Allen,” Khaji Da said, knowing more than well enough that he could speak for Jaime with complete certainty.

Bart smiled, something he seemed to do less of nowadays.

“Dad?” came a familiar voice.

“Nathaniel?” Bart called back, and the door to the room cracked open a bit to show their eldest son, now approaching his 50s, looking through.

“I know you said you wanted to be alone for awhile, but Dayanara really wanted to see you,” he said, opening the door more to reveal Dayanara, now eleven.

“We always have time for our little nieta!” Bart said, walking over to open the door up and beckon his son and granddaughter in. At this point, Khaji Da swapped control with Jaime, and Jaime smiled at Dayanara. Dayanara smiled back for a second before her expression returned to its previous countenance, uncertain and downtrodden.

“Can I be alone with abuelo for awhile?” she asked quietly.

“Of course, mi ciela,” Jaime said.

“Just call for me if you need anything,” Bart said as he kissed Jaime on the forehead gently before standing to allow Dayanara to take his place at the chair placed by Jaime's side of the bed.

“Abuelo?” Dayanara said meekly once she had been left alone with Jaime. “Is it true? You’re going to die soon?”

“It seems to be that way,” Jaime said.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, mi ciela. It’s more like feeling really, really tired. Khaji Da helps with anything that makes me feel uncomfortable, though.”

“Mr. Scarab?” Dayanara asked. “Can I talk to him?”

“Khaji?” Jaime asked. Without a word, Khaji Da slipped into control, and Dayanara knew immediately from the change in her grandfather’s eye color, although it took him a moment to break through the malaise that Jaime’s body was subjected to.

“It has been awhile, Dayanara Reyes,” Khaji Da finally said.

“Yeah…”

Another long pause, as neither of the two knew what to say.

“Mr. Scarab?”

“Yes, Dayanara Reyes?”

“I, uh,” she fidgeted nervously. “Thank you.”

“What for, Dayanara Reyes?”

“For taking care of my abuelos. For always being there for them. I know you’re shy, but you care. So thank you.”

“Your grandfathers have done more for me than I could ever properly describe, Dayanara Reyes.”

“Mr. Scarab, I was wondering something. What’s going to happen to you when…When…”

“You need not say it,” Khaji Da said, and he immediately saw the somewhat relieved look on Dayanara’s face. “As for your inquiry, I am uncertain. Scarabs such as myself were created to be bonded with an organic host. I have had other hosts in the past, but they did not come anywhere near the relational intimacy I have with your grandfather. As much as I do not want to consider it, I will most likely need to be bonded to a new host at some point in the future.”

“Are you scared?”

Khaji Da looked away for a moment, turning the question over in his mind, trying to pin down exactly how he felt about it. He had avoided contemplating it too much, occupying himself with attending to Jaime’s and Bart’s needs to prevent himself from becoming consumed by…Uncertainty? Indignance? Sorrow? Anger?

Fear. He was afraid. And why wouldn’t he be? Everything he had come to know for so long was coming crashing down around him, and it was occurring in what felt like a blink of the eye to the millennia-old Scarab.

“I cannot deny the validity of your inquiry,” he replied.

“If it makes you feel any better Mr. Scarab, I’m scared too. I think everyone is, even though they try not to show it around me.”

Khaji Da paused for a moment, looking over this little girl, her eyes telling of a deep sadness. She looked up to Jaime so much, she had always been the closest to him out of his grandchildren. And to lose that kind of important figure at such a young age, to watch him slowly whither away to a shell of what he once was, must have been as harrowing for her as it had been for Khaji Da.

“I appreciate your honesty, Dayanara Reyes,” Khaji Da said. “I have never understood why so many humans seem so taken with careening around when unpleasant topics of conversation are brought up.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Dayanara said. “Hey, Mr. Scarab? You remember when we first met when I was six? And you said maybe we could be friends one day?”

“I do recall that event.”

“Will that still be possible even after abuelo is gone? Will you still be around?” she asked, her voice laced with vulnerable uncertainty.

“I have long since made a promise, both to your grandfathers and myself, that I would watch over their progeny to the best of my ability. It is only reasonable that I do such, especially since as a rogue Reach Scarab, I have few other options available,” Khaji Da said.

“Ok.” Dayanara smiled a bit, but her eyes held the same morose gaze as before.

As the days passed, Jaime’s health worsened. Khaji Da did his best to make Jaime’s passing comfortable, but it was difficult given the fact that he was working against a body that was effectively shutting down.

Jaime's family and friends all dealt with his looming morality in their own way; sorrow, fear, regret, resigned acceptance. Hard conversations took place, arguments were had, grievances long unaddressed brought out. But at the same time, catharses were found, old wounds healed, words long unspoken finally let out into the open. In the end, Jaime left no loose ends untied, and he did his best to ensure the same for his loved ones.

 “Remember that time you almost blew up that Reach warship when we were on a covert operation?” Milagro said.

“We’ve been over this a thousand times, that was more Khaji than me. Besides, it only would have taken out 2 sectors max, not the whole ship,” Jaime said.

“Or that time I had to call in three other Green Lanterns because you almost accidentally started another Intergalactic war because you offended that alien diplomat?”

“Again, that’s on Khaji. He does the translation, remember?”

“And that time you and Bart lost contact with the Green Lanterns for two whole days when you went to scope out that planet? Still don’t know how you managed that.”

“You keep taking these things out of context and making me sound like an idiot. What about when you almost wrecked that Green Lantern base by accident?”

“You must be going senile too, because I sure don’t remember that,” Milagro said, smiling at her brother. He sighed and smiled back. He supposed it would be odd if Milagro started cutting him some slack now.

“So you’re finally croaking on me,” Milagro said, her smile remaining but her eyes hinting at a certain sadness.

“You always had such a nice way of putting things, you know that Milagro?” Jaime replied. “What? You want my room or something once I’m gone?”

“I’ve long since grown out of being jealous of you, thanks.”

“Then why’d you bring it up like that?”

Milagro looked away from Jaime, her eyes resting on the view that the window overlooking the bed Jaime laid on afforded. Jaime waited for Milagro to gather her words and soon enough she turned back at him, her lighthearted façade from before having vanished as she looked out the window.

“You’ve just- you’ve always been here, since before I can even remember,” She finally said.

“Yeah, we kind of have the same parents and grew up together.”

“What I was trying to say, before you interrupted my moment, was that it’s hard to imagine a world without you. I mean, everyone expects to bury their parents, but siblings?” Milagro’s words hung in the air, quiet yet heavy. Jaime sighed before forcing himself to smile.

“You’ll be fine without me,” he said. “Milagro, you were a Green Lantern. You were out in space for way longer than Bart and I, if you can make it out there on your own, you can manage on earth without your crusty old brother weighing you down. You must be getting old if you’re starting to think otherwise now.”

At this, Milagro smiled a bit, but Jaime noticed the glassy look to her eyes and the tears she was barely holding back.

“You know what? You’re right. Maybe I’m the one that’s going senile, if I’m starting to talk like that,” she said before leaning in the hug him, Jaime suspecting she did so partially in an effort to hide her tears.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“Love you too,” he said just as quietly.

At first, Tye had denied the strong possibility that Jaime was going to pass before him. Being lifelong friends, it had definitely come up in conversation before. It had usually started out in a joking manner, making predictions about the ridiculous circumstances in which the other would go. Sometimes though, there was a darker undertone. An uncomfortable silence, a pause just a bit too long, a contemplative look shared between the two.

Tye’s final few visits to Jaime often started out much the same, an attempt at light-heartedness turned melancholy.

“I can’t believe you’re actually going before me. I was always the more impulsive one,” Tye said.

“Trust me, I’m just as surprised as you,” Jaime responded. “I always figured one day I’d get a call from Asami saying that you’d gotten yourself killed somehow or another.”

“I wouldn’t do that to her.”

“Sure, not on purpose. But you’ve gotten yourself into plenty of ridiculous situations.”

“You’re one to talk.” Tye made an attempt at keeping a steely countenance, but he couldn’t help but crack up, Jaime following suit soon after. “But hey, seriously…”

Accepting Jaime’s imminent death had hit Tye particularly hard. He had continually insisted that it was just an episode, that everyone was overreacting, of course Jaime would come out of this, he’d come out of far worse before, right? But eventually even he had to accept it, whether he liked the idea or not. Several days before, Tye had come to see Jaime and, at the recommendation of a medicine woman from the local Mescalero Apache community, had sung a healing song for Jaime. ‘To put you at ease,’ Tye had explained. Perhaps to some it wouldn’t have been much, but to Jaime it had meant the world that his friend had thought to do something so deeply personal for him.

“So what’s going to happen with your Scarab?” Tye asked. “How’s he taking all this?”

Jaime shrugged. “About as well as Bart, I guess,” he said.

Tye sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat, looking away from Jaime and off into the distance. “Not that great, huh?”

“Khaji Da said he wants to stay on earth, at least for now. I don’t know who will be his next host, but he’ll be in good hands with my family until he finds someone.”

“Sounds rough. I don’t know much about that sort of thing, but still.” Tye had never really known what to make of the Scarab,  and at first he had been extremely uncomfortable whenever he was faced with the fact that Khaji Da had been the route through which the Reach had controlled Jaime. But after some time, Tye grew used to the idea of Jaime having a piece of alien technology that had somehow become sentient grafted into his spine.

“Hey Tye?” Jaime asked. Tye looked back at Jaime.

“Yeah?” he said.

Jaime paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking, looking down at his hands laid palm up on the bed. “Do you ever just...Look back on your life and think about all the mistakes you made? All the things you could have done better, and wondered what it would have been like if things were different?”

“Yes,” Tye said. “We’re old men, Jaime. I think that happens to everyone at this point.” Jaime turned his gaze back to Tye.

“It’s just- You know how they say hindsight is 20/20? Sometimes I just wish I could go back and live some parts of my life over again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy with the way things turned out, but-”

“Nothing’s perfect, huh?” Tye filled in.

“Yeah.”

“Jaime, you’re one of the best people I know. One of the most selfless and thoughtful and loyal. If you have doubts and regrets, what hope do the rest of us have?” Tye smiled a bit.

“Oh please Tye, now’s not the time for your jokes,” Jaime said, still smiling back regardless.

“It’s not a joke. Well, the part about you being great, anyway.”

“Tye-”

“Seriously, Jaime. Everyone has regrets, everyone has at least one screw-up that they wish they could go back and fix, but that’s the thing about life, you can’t. But you’ve got so much to be proud of. You saved thousands, maybe millions of people as Blue Beetle, you have a great family and friends that would die for you.”

“You feel like going through on that offer right about now, Tye?” Jaime asked.

“Ha, you wish,” Tye said. “Anyway, out of all the people in the world, I think you’re at the bottom of the list for number of reasonable regrets. Besides, even if you could go back and fix them, how would that affect how your life turned out?”

“Well…” Jaime said, looking away from Tye again.

“No one knows. Hell, it could have ended up way worse if you did even one little minor thing different, don’t you ever think about it like that? I mean, you’re happy with how things turned out for you, aren’t you?”

“Yes, you know that,” Jaime replied. Tye put his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. Jaime looked back at Tye to see him wear a serious gaze.

“Then try and focus on that instead of dwelling on what could have been. It’ll only make you miserable, Jaime,” Tye said. “You really want to spend whatever time you have left being miserable and unsure?”

Jaime closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, opening them again to look at Tye. “No,” he finally said. “You’re right. It’s too late to focus on what might have happened or how things could have turned out differently. All that matters now are the absolutes, the things I did and the people that were there for me.”

“Good,” Tye said, smiling and patting Jaime on the back. “Usually you’re the one that has to convince me, so it’s nice being on the other side of the conversation for once.”

They chatted for awhile longer, mostly about lighter topics to make up for the heaviness of their conversation before.

“It’s getting late Tye, shouldn’t you be heading home?” Jaime asked, gaze lingering on the clock sitting on his nightstand.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Asami keeps telling me not to drive after dark if I can help it,” Tye said, slowly standing from his seat.

“I wonder why...Could it have anything to do with that time you almost got yourself killed when you turned into the wrong lane when you were driving late at night?” Jaime asked, a smile creeping on his face.

“That was _one time_ ,” Tye said in exasperation. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“Because Asami’s too smart to test her luck like that again and let you drive at night,” Jaime countered.

“Yeah, laugh it up,” Tye said, smiling nonetheless. “I’ll visit you again tomorrow, okay?”

“Sure Tye, thanks for coming,” Jaime said.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Tye said as he made his way to the door, closing it behind him quietly.

[Jaime Reyes,] Khaji Da asked quietly some time after Tye left.

“Yes Khaji?”

[You stated that there are certain events in your past that you regret.]

“Yeah? What about it?”

[I was hoping to enquire if a certain event was among those regrets.]

“What are you getting at?”

[The night that Kord Laboratories was attacked, when Ted Kord was killed in an explosion. When you passed by and picked me up for analysis…]

“Are you kidding me? Of course I don’t regret that. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Sure, I didn’t know it at the time, but hindsight is 20/20, right?” Jaime said. For a long time, Khaji Da said nothing, contemplating all the potential implications of that statement.

Finally, he spoke.

[Thank you, Jaime Reyes.]

 

When Jaime passed, it didn’t happen like Khaji Da had expected it to. In Khaji Da’s mind, Jaime’s passing would be catastrophic, deafening, consuming, but it wasn’t like that at all.

Jaime’s demise was quiet, peaceful, perhaps what some would consider uneventful. It was what many humans seemed to think of as an ideal death, but Khaji Da wasn’t sure which he thought was worse, going out all at once like a supernova, or slowly but surely petering out like a red giant burning out and leaving only a shell of itself behind where once a glorious light reigned.

As Jaime’s life wound down, he slipped into a coma. Those few hours before the end were the hardest Khaji Da had ever lived through, knowing that death was fast approaching, but not being sure of exactly when it would come.

Not knowing what else to do, Khaji Da began to implant messages into Jaime’s subconscious mind.

[I cannot properly describe how grateful I am that we met]

[I will never forget you]

[I will do my best to remember everything that I have learned in our time together]

[You need not worry of what will befall Bart Allen and the others, I will watch over them in your absence]

Out of all the things that Khaji Da whispered in those final moments, the most frequently repeated, and perhaps the most important, was also the simplest.

[I love you]

Despite his comatose state, Jaime would occasionally respond. Not in a direct manner, but more with sensations, with subtle changes in his biological chemistry, with a warm feeling the emanated from his chest, enveloping Khaji Da comfortingly. This system of indirect communication went on, not terribly different from how they had interacted many times throughout their lives together. At least, until Jaime did something Khaji Da did not expect.

_I love you too. Don’t ever forget that._

It was the last coherent, conscious thought Jaime Reyes would ever form. Not long after, Jaime’s body began to shut down entirely. His core temperature cooled, his cells began to break down, his mind flickered out. Khaji Da felt a deep, gaping emptiness.

And then silence.


End file.
